The Gwinnett County Police Department has received multiple inquiries from the general public over the past day in reference to the viral social media video of Officer Oxford’s arrest of Kyndesia Smith on August 18^th.  The police department has maintained that it would provide transparent information to the public in a timely manner.  In order to do this, a three-pronged investigation was started that addressed the following concerns: the arrest of Smith, the use of force, and the conduct of Officer Oxford.

The investigation on the first and second concern reflects that there was probable cause to arrest Smith for Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer and that the subsequent use of force was within policy. 

The third concern that was investigated was the conduct of Officer Oxford.  The Gwinnett County Police Department holds its officers to the highest standards of conduct and integrity.  Prior to the viral social media video being discovered, the conduct of Officer Oxford was already flagged by supervisors and an investigation had begun.  That investigation looked at whether proper de-escalation techniques were used, and whether Officer Oxford violated our policy based on the manner in which he handled the incident.   Our policy states that each member of this department shall consider it his or her duty to be of service to the general public and to render that service in a kind, considerate, and patient manner.

One of our core values is courtesy.  We strive to conduct ourselves in a manner that promotes mutual respect with the community and our peers.  The investigation in this case has shown that Officer Oxford violated our policy and did not meet our core values.  For this reason, the employment of Officer Oxford has been terminated as of August 21^st. 

To further the transparency of this incident, the police department is releasing body-camera video to the news media.  We hope that in doing this, it will show that we are committed to building upon the public trust as servants to the citizens of Gwinnett County.

(Original 08/20/20)  The Gwinnett County Police Department has received multiple inquiries in reference to an arrest video that is circulating on social media.  The following is a summary of the incident and what the police department is doing about it.

On August 18^th, the police department received a 911 call in reference to property damage on the 1800 block of Summit Creek Way in Loganville.  When the officer arrived, he was informed by the complainant that two people had thrown a bottle at her car.  She also said the people threatened to assault her and beat her 9 year old child.  The incident of the bottle being thrown was captured on surveillance video.  That video shows a woman come and retrieve the bottle from the yard before police arrived.  The complainant directed the officer to the house where she believed the suspects were staying.

When the officer went to the house, he immediately recognized one of the women on the front porch from the video surveillance.  He attempted to speak with her about the incident but was unable to do so because the defendant in this case, Kyndesia Smith, began yelling at him.  The officer responded by yelling back and told Smith that if she did not let him do his job he would place her under arrest.  After several warnings, the officer told Smith that she was under arrest.  Smith resisted a lawful command and refused to be placed in handcuffs.  After refusing to be placed in handcuffs, she was warned that she would be tased.  After she resisted the officer’s commands she was tased and placed in handcuffs.  After she was placed in handcuffs she kicked the officer and continued to be uncooperative.

The police department takes all use of force seriously.  All use of force cases are administratively reviewed through the chain of command.  An investigation into this incident is being conducted.  The officer has been placed in an administrative role pending the outcome of the internal investigation.  We have a long history of being transparent public servants to the citizens of Gwinnett County.  We will continue to keep our citizens up to date with information on this case as the facts are collected.  A link to the police report is attached below.